


Burnt Cookies

by bluehat



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Christmas Cookies, Christmas Eve, F/F, Fluff, Next Door Neighbor au, Pre-Relationship, Sort Of, dumb p5 references, most of the game never happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 11:48:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17161457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluehat/pseuds/bluehat
Summary: Ann Takamaki is a student and aspiring actress, alone in her apartment on Christmas Eve. Seems like the perfect night to finally talk to her next door neighbor, Shiho Suzui.





	Burnt Cookies

On Christmas Eve, Ann stared out the window of her small Tokyo apartment, barely able to see a line of trees filled with lights sparkling in the growing darkness. It felt like the nights were more than half of her waking hours now. She knew that could be remedied if she bothered to wake up a little earlier, but the combination of evening classes at university and nighttime modeling shoots and screen-tests left her exhausted more nights than she’d like to admit. She’d known that this life was going to be difficult, but somehow she hadn’t predicted quite how much.

After two years at school and at work, all she had to show for her efforts was one cheesy hot chocolate commercial. _Let them drink chocolate_ , she had declared regally, dressed in a cheap and somewhat revealing costume supposedly designed to resemble a French queen as she sipped from a bubbling mug. A jarring jingle had undercut the entire thing, sounding like a mix between a Christmas carol and the soundtrack of a horror film. The ad had only run on a few channels, and watching it still embarrassed her. Her parents had warned her off of such an unsure future, but they really weren’t around enough to have much of a say in her life choices anymore.

Speaking of, she’d been only slightly surprised by their last-minute visit cancellation. Ann had cleaned her apartment of all its usual clutter until every surface sparkled in fear of their judgement, and just this morning she had discovered they weren’t coming at all. It was a slight relief to not have to worry about their presence, but sitting alone in her apartment, every surface empty and clean, she felt a longing for their company. She had laid out a nice dress in preparation for their arrival, wanting to seem in control and together, but she ignored it now in favor of a warm sweater and a pair of plaid pajama bottoms, as well as a pair of slippers with kitty ears. There were no eyes to judge her in her own home.

Ann stretched backwards on her small couch, still looking out the window as the sun finished its descent across the horizon. She wondered if there was anyone she could call to come over, but most people already had plans for their Christmas Eves, and she felt like it was a little too late to RSVP to any of the industry party invites she’d already politely declined in favor of her parents’ arrival. She thought about texting some of her university friends. Ryuji was spending the holidays in the outskirts of Tokyo with his mother, and Akira was back in the countryside with his family. She knew Yusuke had a holiday art show coming up, so there was no way he’d be doing anything other than pulling his fifth all-nighter tonight.

Giving up, Ann tossed her phone to the side and rolled over, flicking on a few lamps as the apartment dimmed. She passed into the kitchen to turn on her final standing lamp, but when she passed the cupboard she caught a whiff of vanilla scent from her favorite holiday cookies. Eagerly, she grabbed the box. It would be perfect for eating her loneliness away. But as soon as she grabbed it, the lightness of the cardboard gave the truth away: it was simply a leftover box, with no cookies inside. Ryuji had probably snuck himself the last few when he had been over to study with her a few days earlier. Huffing, she threw the box into the recycling.

She hovered in the kitchen, hands on her hips. Now she was really craving those cookies, and she wasn’t in the mood to go to the store, especially in her PJs. It couldn’t be that hard to make the cookies herself, could it? She quickly googled a recipe that promised to be “fast and easy, perfect for the amateur baker.” Perfect!

        

Coughing as she pulled the cookies out of the oven an hour later, Ann wished she’d paid a little more attention to the recipe, but what was she supposed to do? She was hungry and she didn’t have time to look at particulars! Aside from a small cloud of smoke now wafting away from the kitchen, the cookies themselves didn’t look too awful. They were the right shape, delicately formed into little hearts; and most of them looked the right creamy color, if a little extra brown around the edges. She took one off of the baking sheet, nearly dropping it as it scorched her carefully manicured fingers, and was about to take a bite when suddenly she was interrupted by a loud noise.

The fire alarm in her apartment was blaring, cloud of smoke having finally reached it. Ann’s heart jumped into her throat as she desperately threw open a window, letting the chilly air into her apartment. She logically knew it was too late to stop the alarm, but her panic led her to attempt to wave the smoke away with her hands. Within moments, her phone was ringing, and she knew it was the fire department. Still filled with terrified adrenaline, she picked up the phone.

A man’s voice rang out in an official sounding tone. “Takamaki-san, we have a report from a fire alarm in your home. Is everything all right?”

“Um, yes, everything is fine,” said Ann with a barely-concealed sigh. This was just typical. First her parents don’t show up, then all of her friends are busy or out of town, and then she nearly burns down her apartment for the sake of her sweet tooth.

“Can you please give us your security code?”

Ann wracked her brain. It had been almost two years since she’d set this up, but she could only hope that it was the same code she used for everything. “Uh… _Carmen_?”

“All set. Have a good Christmas Eve.”

“You too,” said Ann, relieved. Cookies abandoned on the counter, she flopped back onto the couch she had previously occupied as the infernal ringing of the alarm finally cut out. She buried her face into a red throw pillow, debating letting out a screech to be muffled by the fabric. Before she could make up her mind, she heard a knock on the door.

“…Everything okay in there?” came a soft voice from the hall. Ann wasn’t sure who it was, but she had an idea. She’d only seen her from a distance, but her next-door neighbor, Shiho Suzui, seemed like the type who’d have a voice like that. Not that Ann had spared much thought as to what the other girl’s voice would sound like.

 

The last time Ann had seen the other girl, Ryuji had been with her, the two of them coming back to Ann’s apartment after going for a run in Inokashira Park. Suzui had waved to Ann from down the hall as they approached, and Ann had waved back, feeling breathless and sweaty for more reasons than one. As Suzui disappeared behind her door and Ann fumbled with her keys, feeling nervous for some reason, Ryuji had given her a knowing look.

“ _What_? Why are you looking at me like that, you jerk?” she had fumed.

“I know a crush when I see one,” he’d said, with the attitude of a wise old man.

“Shut up Ryuji, you don’t know anything,” said Ann. She had barely seen Suzui, it would be ridiculous to be crushing on her. And yet, she couldn’t deny, every once in a while she would leave for class ten minutes early because she knew Suzui always was heading back to her apartment at that time, and they could exchange a smile and a wave in the hallway. But that was just a neighborly thing!

“Mmhmm,” Ryuji had hummed knowingly, and Ann had ignored him. She hadn’t even spoken a single word to Suzui. Ryuji didn’t know anything, he was _Ryuji_.

 

Ann rushed over to open the door, coming face-to-face with her neighbor. “Everything’s fine,” she said in a rush. “Just burned a few cookies.”

“Oh,” said Suzui with a small laugh. “I was just coming back in from grocery shopping, and I got worried when I heard the alarm. Glad you’re okay… Takamaki-san, right?”

“Yep. Suzui-san, hm?” Ann knew the other girl’s name, but it felt right to confirm it.

“Yeah,” said Suzui with a smile. Her smile lit up her face, causing her dark eyes to twinkle and small, almost unnoticeable dimples to form on the corners of her cheeks. Her face and the tip of her nose were slightly pink, probably from the cold weather outside. Her dark brown hair, usually up in a ponytail, was down around her shoulders. It was longer than Ann had thought. She was wearing a cute white coat, and Ann was suddenly conscious of her own attire and cat slippers. She nervously ran a hand through her hair, also hanging loose around her shoulders.

“Well… um… good night,” said Suzui, turning to head to her own apartment.

“Wait—” said Ann without thinking. Suzui turned, an unknown emotion flickering in her eyes. “Do you wanna… have some cookies with me?”

“Burned cookies?” asked Suzui amusedly.

“They’re not _that_ burned!” exclaimed Ann defensively. At least, she hoped they weren’t.

“Well, with that recommendation…” Suzui stepped inside and Ann backed up awkwardly. “Wow, your apartment is so clean… not quite what I expected.” Suzui grinned at her, and Ann felt like she ought to be offended but somehow couldn’t quite manage it.

“I cleaned it for my parents, but… they ended up not being able to come,” Ann finished, trying not to make herself sound too pathetic.

“That’s too bad. My parents are out of the country at the moment, so… I get it,” Suzui said.

“Do you have friends coming over for the holidays or anything?” asked Ann.

“No, I’m still pretty new in Tokyo, so… not many people who I can call friends, yet,” admitted Suzui. “Are those the infamous cookies?”

“Yep,” said Ann, unceremoniously dumping them onto a plate and carrying it over to the couch. She perched on the edge as Suzui took a seat, noticing the other girl wince and rub her leg as she sat down. Suzui saw Ann’s glance and gave a rueful smile.

“I was training in Chiba, but… I ended up getting injured, and then I decided to move away,” Suzui explained vaguely. “I wear a brace, but my leg still hurts sometimes.”

“Training for what?” asked Ann, hoping that wasn’t insensitive.

“I was, um, a competitive volleyball player, for a little bit. I trained under… a former Olympian, but I ended up leaving after I got hurt. Now, it’s kind of up in the air, I guess. Trying out Tokyo while I try to figure my life out.” The speech sounded a bit practiced, as if it wasn’t nearly the first time Suzui was speaking it.

 

Ann knew exactly the first time she’d seen Suzui. It was the day she was moving in, when two people who looked like her parents had been helping her move boxes, Suzui still on a pair of crutches and looking fairly unhappy. Ann had wondered if she should offer to help move boxes or something, but unfortunately she was heading out for the day, and besides she wasn’t quite sure if that was weird or not. Feeling like she’d be intruding, Ann hadn’t said hello to her, only glancing as she left to go to her classes. She hadn’t been able to get the other girl out of her head all day in class, and at work she’d been scolded by the photographer for losing focus.

On her way home, Ann had gotten off the train one stop early, quickly slipping into a market to buy a small basket of fruit. She had left it in front of Suzui’s door with a simple welcoming note, not ringing the doorbell because it was fairly late. Hoping the basket would still be there when Suzui got up in the morning, she headed back to her own apartment. She didn’t see the door open a few moments later as the new tenant smiled after her beautiful neighbor.

 

Ann smiled at the other girl, suddenly struck with the wish that Suzui would stay in Tokyo for a long time. “Yeah, I’m… I’m trying to become an actress, but you know, not exactly a linear path. Things aren’t going super well at the moment, but… if nothing else, I’m working on a degree in fashion, so…”

“Oh!” Suzui suddenly got wide-eyed, pointing at Ann. “ _That’s_ where I know you from! I thought you looked so familiar, but... ‘ _Let them drink chocolate!_ ’” That was you!”

Ann blushed deeply and put her head in her hands. “Oh god,” she said, as Suzui shrieked with laughter. “Please don’t tell me you watched that.”

“Only every day for a week,” said Suzui. “It was too good not to. You can’t buy publicity like an ad that awful.”

“It was the only job that I could get…” said Ann mournfully, but Suzui just kept giggling.

“It’s not your fault,” Suzui gasped through her fits of laughter. “It was just… so stupid…”

Ann picked up a cookie off of the tray and shoved it in the direction of Suzui’s face, desperate to escape her embarrassment. Suzui took a bite of the cookie right out of her hand, choking slightly on her suppressed giggles. She chewed with an inscrutable look on her face, and then swallowed with what looked like some difficulty.

“How is it?” asked Ann, scoping the look on Suzui’s face.

“That was…” Suzui paused. “…the absolute worst cookie I have ever eaten. Did you mix up the salt and sugar? And what even is _in_ that aftertaste?”

Ann hesitantly took a bite out of a second cookie. The taste hit her in waves: first desperately salty, then hideously bitter, and finally an almost sour lingering taste. The crumbs felt slightly sticky and she found herself wishing she had about a gallon of water to wash them down with.

Suzui laughed at the look on Ann’s face. “See?”

Ann nodded. “I… um… I’m not a baker.”

Suzui chuckled dryly. “Oh _really_.”

“Shut up!” Ann chucked a throw pillow at Suzui, who easily batted it out of the air.

“I really think _I’m_ the one who ought to be offended, since you brought me into your home to try to poison me,” protested Suzui with mock earnestness.

“Ugh,” groaned Ann.

“C’mon,” said Suzui. “I have some actual Christmas cookies in my apartment.”

“Really?” asked Ann, any frustration quelled by the promise of actual sugary treats.

Suzui laughed. “Aw, Takamaki-san, you’re so cute…”

Ann blushed. “You can call me Ann if you want. Anyone who’s seen that ad has already seen me at my lowest, so…”

Suzui smiled. “You can call me Shiho. It’s kind of jarring to be called Suzui-san even in my own apartment building.”

“Sounds great, Shiho!” said Ann brightly. The name felt right in her mouth. “I think I have some champagne in my cupboard if you want to make this an extra festive party…”

“Ha, why not,” said Shiho. “I don’t drink much, but it is Christmas Eve, I suppose.”

“Yay!” said Ann, feeling more festive than she had all week. She knew in her mind that she’d never feel the same excitement for Christmas that she had when she was a little girl, but somehow she always wished for it anyway. She hadn’t wanted to admit to herself how depressing she found the thought of sitting by herself in her apartment on Christmas Eve.

Within a few minutes, Ann found herself standing behind Shiho as she let them both into her apartment. It was much cozier than Ann’s sparkling-clean modern style, with squashy armchairs and a fuzzy carpet. In a moment, a small kitten came trotting out from behind a curtain. She was a little tabby, and she let out a pitchy squeak upon seeing Ann.

“Aww!” Ann exclaimed as she knelt down. “What’s her name?”

“Panther,” said Shiho. “She thinks she’s vicious, but she’s also like six inches long, so…”

“I didn’t know pets were allowed in this building,” said Ann as she let the kitten bat at her fingers.

“They’re not strictly… allowed,” said Shiho slyly. “It’ll be our secret.”

Ann looked up at Shiho and winked. “Just so long as you let me come over and play with her.”

“Blackmail, I see,” said Shiho. “If you insist.” She scooped up the kitten as she seized a tin of cookies from the counter, and Ann spotted a few tall wine glasses in the cupboard and nabbed two as they headed into the small living room. The comfortable furniture was arranged around a small TV, and with a gasp of delight Ann recognized the DVD sitting on the table.

“ _A Featherman Christmas_? I thought I was the only one who liked this thing!” she exclaimed, snatching up the cover as soon as she’d put down the champagne and glasses nearby.

“I mean, it’s not _great_ , but… traditions, right?” said Shiho.

“Ooh, let’s watch it!” said Ann.

Shiho laughed. “It’s already in the player.”

“Ah, you’re my dream girl, Shiho,” said Ann half-jokingly. She poured out two almost-overflowing glasses of champagne.

“You’re going to drink me under the table!” said Shiho.

“It’s Christmas! …Eve!” said Ann, satisfied in her justification. Shiho cracked open the tin of cookies, and Ann was delighted to see that they were her favorite vanilla cookies from the market, that Ryuji had finished off.

“You’re the best!” she said, clinking glasses with Shiho and then taking a bubbling sip, champagne light on her tongue. The Featherman jingle began to play as the Christmas special started, and she grabbed three cookies as she sat back on the couch. It was chilly in the apartment, and after a moment’s consideration, she grabbed a blanket off of the back of the couch.

“Give me some of that,” said Shiho, and instead of spreading out the blanket, Ann scooted closer to the other girl until they were practically cuddling. She gave Shiho a nervous glance, but all Shiho did was grab the edge of the blanket and pull it so it covered both of them. There was the slightest pause, and then Shiho gently laid her arm around Ann’s shoulders. Ann snuggled in closer to the contact, munching on her sugar cookies. She took the smallest moment to look up at Shiho’s face. She was staring determinedly at the television, but there was an adorable pink blush around her cheeks and nose that Ann didn’t think was from the cold anymore. After a moment, Shiho turned just slightly and met her eyes, faces just inches from each other. They just looked at each other for a second, but then Panther broke the tension by jumping into Ann's lap, causing her to giggle.

“Merry Christmas Eve, Ann,” said Shiho.

“Merry Christmas Eve.” Ann took another small sip of the champagne and leaned her head against Shiho’s shoulder, ready to enjoy some bad TV, good cookies, and the arms of a cute girl for one night. What better Christmas Eve could a girl ask for?

**Author's Note:**

> might write some more in this universe, i'm in need of some ann/shiho content. it's canon folks. anyways, please let me know if you liked it!


End file.
